Two main parties set to go in tough fundraising year

So, in what is turning out to be so far a low-energy civic campaign season, Vision Vancouver acclaimed all of its candidates on Sunday after a last-minute bail from one school board candidate.

Rob Wynen, a school PAC chair as well as a long-time parks advocate, switched over from park to school to fill the spot, eliminating the need for a race at park.

That matches the all-acclamation nomination for the NPA the week before.

As well, after a brief speech by Mayor Gregor Robertson to about 250 who hauled themselves out on a sunny weekend day at SFU downtown, the mayor got a 96 per cent confidence vote. (Love to know who the 10 dissenters were.)

Now, it’s off to the hard grind of raising money, scraping together volunteers who aren’t burned out by the federal and provincial races, and finding some issues. If the last couple of weeks (lobster gate last week; jabs over some program to grow wheat on front lawns this week) are any indication, it’s going to be like one of those interminable soccer games where no one scores a goal, but there is endless carrying on over supposed injuries and penalties and a kind of low-bore ankle-biting going on. I await revelations of misdemeanors (arrests for parking tickets; verbal harassment) from criminal records; medical-records details; shocking Facebook photos (not); allegations of dope-smoking in high places, as it were, and more.

In the meantime, all the parties have to get cracking at raising money. My story in today’s Globe (http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/bc-politics/vancouver-parties-gear-up-for-tough-season-of-fundraising/article2059538/?service=mobile) outlines the struggles parties are likely to face, as they raise money while figuring out which rules of fundraising they’ll abide by or not.

(Additional note: Since this came out, I’ve been told by VV that in face their official policy, decided sometime between my interview and when the story was published, is that the party will not accept American donations.)